Brochure · EN — 12-page Siemens Energy brochure (© Siemens Energy, 2025) on the industry SVC PLUS® — an IGBT-based STATCOM using voltage-source-converter (VSC) technology on a Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) — and ActiFeed PLUS, an advanced Modular Multilevel Matrix Converter (M3C) solution for feeding three-phase electric arc furnaces. It covers the power-quality challenges of large, fast-changing industrial loads (flicker, harmonics, reactive power imbalance), fields of application, key features including flicker reduction in the range of 4.5 or more, the Gridflow PLUS control platform, four standard layouts with footprint dimensions (industry SVC PLUS® 65m x 40m; compact 55m x 16m; extended 65m x 55m; ActiFeed PLUS 55m x 35m), and an installed base of over 120 SVC PLUS® systems, over 30 of them in industrial plants.
This 12-page Siemens Energy brochure (DIN A4, © Siemens Energy, 2025, siemens-energy.com/metals-and-mining) presents "Solutions for industrial applications — Industry SVC PLUS® and ActiFeed PLUS managing dynamic industrial loads". It is organized into four chapters: STATCOM for industrial applications, key features of the industry SVC PLUS® and ActiFeed PLUS, layouts, and digital experiences.
Fidelity note: the brochure opens with a world reference map of installed systems captioned "Largest reference base for Multilevel STATCOM in the world." The map lists named end customers with per-site VSC and filter ratings; those names and per-site figures are withheld from this entry per the catalog's customer-privacy guardrail — only the aggregate installed-base claims are reproduced. The document contains no consolidated electrical ratings table; the quantitative figures reproduced here are the highlight values printed in the body text and layout pages.
Any industrial facility with large, rapidly changing loads needs to mitigate power quality issues caused by their operation. These issues include voltage fluctuations (flicker), harmonic distortion, and reactive power imbalances. Large industrial drives, power electronics or electric arc furnaces (EAF) are typical examples of loads that impact power quality and therefore need power quality improvement.
The industry SVC PLUS® is designed to improve power quality in industrial applications. Its fast response time counteracts quality issues by: dynamic voltage control; voltage flicker mitigation; harmonics mitigation; reactive power compensation; power factor correction; and weak grid support.
The brochure walks through five load situations and how the IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) based industry SVC PLUS® technology mitigates each — summarized in the table below.
| Load / situation | How the industry SVC PLUS® responds |
|---|---|
| Electric arc furnaces (EAF) | Rapidly fluctuating power loads of electric arc furnaces can cause voltage dips and surges, flicker, harmonic distortions and power factor shifts; the IGBT-based industry SVC PLUS® technology mitigates these impacts |
| Large drives | Large electric motors have high reactive power demands and voltage dips during startup can occur; the industry SVC PLUS® injects reactive power to ensure a stable voltage profile |
| Power electronics | Power electronics used in gearless drives can generate harmonics — an issue the industry SVC PLUS® mitigates through its active filtering capabilities |
| Loads in remote areas | Ensures more reliable operations of heavy industries in remote areas with weak grid support through its reactive power compensation |
| Grid codes | Ensures readiness for evolving and more strict grid code requirements for heavy industry applications by minimizing their impact on the grid to avoid penalty costs |
Improved power quality protects expensive operational assets, leading to longer asset life and less downtime. Moreover, it enables electric arc furnaces and large motors to operate at higher power levels and therefore increase operational output. As investment protection, the industry SVC PLUS® is state-of-the-art technology, so long-term spare parts availability is guaranteed.
The industry SVC PLUS® is used in various industries with large fluctuating loads like: metal melting; mining and metals; pulp and paper; electric railways; and any other heavy industry with large, rapidly changing loads.
With over 120 SVC PLUS® systems and tens of thousands of PLUS® modules installed across the globe, Siemens Energy offers the largest and most trusted reference base in the industry. The industry SVC PLUS® is built on proven IGBT-based STATCOM technology, ensuring maximum efficiency, grid stability, and long-term reliability.
Harmonic filter circuits provide capacitive power, which improves the power factor. By tuning the filter circuits to specific harmonic frequencies, compliance with respective utility regulations can be achieved. This enables a higher utilization of transmission assets and saves energy.
SVC PLUS® uses voltage-source-converter (VSC) technology based on a Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC). It offers a high degree of flexibility in converter design and station layout. The direct connection to the load bus allows the system to mitigate the load-generated disturbances in an unprecedented speed. Robust and proven standard components ensure excellent reliability in this latest generation of STATCOM.
A small physical footprint reduces turnkey costs and offers an ideal solution when limited space is available. With an extremely good flicker reduction in the range of 4.5 or more, low harmonic generation, and low losses, the SVC PLUS® stabilizes the power supply even when fed by weak networks. With over 120 SVC PLUS® systems installed, over 30 of them are in operation in industrial plants all over the world.
The brochure highlights an industry SVC PLUS® installation at a steel plant in Oman (customer name withheld per guardrail), including a modular multilevel converter, under the headline "Achieving a flicker reduction factor of 6 to 8".
The industry SVC PLUS® there is rated at approximately ±100 Mvar for the VSC and 60 Mvar for the filter circuits, resulting in a compensation power range of 160 Mvar leading and 40 Mvar lagging. The system compensates reactive power and mitigates flicker of an electric arc furnace and a ladle furnace. Based on measurements the flicker was evaluated and results showed that a flicker reduction factor of 6 to 8 was achieved.
ActiFeed PLUS is Siemens Energy's innovative solution to feed three-phase electric arc furnaces, maximizing energy efficiency while minimizing operating costs and environmental impact. Utilizing PLUS® technology in an advanced Modular Multilevel Matrix Converter (M3C), ActiFeed PLUS ensures precise power control for stable arcs and optimal energy utilization, resulting in reduced power-on times and unprecedented grid stability.
ActiFeed PLUS stands out as the only solution offering bidirectional power flow without the use of diodes, ensuring maximum flexibility and efficiency in energy exchange. Key features include: provision of capacitive reactive power, which helps maintain voltage stability and supports grid requirements; compensation of additional loads, allowing the system to adapt dynamically to varying operational conditions; additional reduction of harmonics in the plant grid, improving overall power quality and reducing stress on equipment; and a backup function through parallel compensation, ensuring reliability and continuity in case of disturbances.
Furthermore, reactive power compensation is already integrated into the system, eliminating the need for additional reactive power compensation devices. Likewise, no extra filters are required on the grid side, simplifying installation and reducing costs. The industry SVC PLUS® is upgradable to ActiFeed PLUS for extended capabilities and advanced performance.
Very fast and accurate control of the compensating device is necessary to compensate fluctuating loads. The large number of series-connected sub-modules in the MMC provides the flexibility and response time to achieve an ideal waveform for this compensation task. The innovative concept enables a combination of high dynamic output behavior with low switching losses.
The sub-modules contain IGBTs, a capacitor in the DC link, and a bypass switch. The safe and rapid bypass of a failed sub-module permits uninterrupted operation with inbuilt redundancy, and the sub-modules can be easily exchanged by the operator's maintenance staff. Redundant sub-modules guarantee highest system availability and operational reliability.
The Siemens Energy Gridflow PLUS platform controls all PLUS-technology based solutions including HVDC and FACTS. Incorporating well-proven and widely used high-performance control systems, Gridflow PLUS delivers all the advantages of a long-term product strategy. The system implements open- and closed-loop controls as well as special protection functions for the power electronics. It works seamlessly with the special filter protection relays, which provide algorithms for determining reactor overload and capacitor overvoltage.
A variety of standardized E-house solutions are available for the valve and control systems of SVC PLUS® and filter circuits. E-house solutions are especially popular in the oil, gas, and mining industries. Pre-tested systems are delivered directly to prepared foundations on site, which results in reduced effort for civil works and fast installation and commissioning.
The brochure presents four standard layouts, each with a plot rendering, footprint dimensions, and a single-line diagram. The industry SVC PLUS® (with filter circuits) targets load compensation for large industrial plants and weak grid connections; the compact variant omits the filter circuits and its installation footprint is smaller than a conventional SVC installation of the same rating by up to 50 percent; the extended variant contains two SVC PLUS® converters and one filter — for even larger compensation requirements the concept can be complemented with additional SVC PLUS® converters, and in case of a failure each of the components can be switched off separately, leaving the other components in operation; ActiFeed PLUS, thanks to its medium-voltage design, can be placed independently anywhere in the steel plant without the need to be located near the furnace, with the existing furnace infrastructure remaining completely unchanged.
| Variant | Dimensions | Positioning as printed |
|---|---|---|
| Industry SVC PLUS® | 65m x 40m | Load compensation for large industrial plants and for weak grid connection; equipped with filter circuits |
| Industry SVC PLUS® compact | 55m x 16m | Smallest footprint for load compensation for small to medium size industrial plants; footprint up to 50 percent smaller than a conventional SVC installation of the same rating |
| Industry SVC PLUS® extended | 65m x 55m | Designed to improve power quality of very large loads; contains two SVC PLUS® converters and one filter; extendable with additional converters; components separately switchable on failure |
| ActiFeed PLUS | 55m x 35m | Innovative load compensation of industrial loads; medium-voltage direct converter placeable independently anywhere in the steel plant; existing furnace infrastructure remains completely unchanged |
The brochure closes with interactive content: 360° apps for the industry SVC PLUS®, industry SVC PLUS® compact, industry SVC PLUS® extended and ActiFeed PLUS, plus an industry SVC PLUS® video, each accessible via QR codes printed in the document — inviting readers to navigate through multiple plants and explore comprehensive technical insights of the systems.
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